IT’S become surfing’s equivalent of the space race: a mysterious international quest to construct the perfect man-made wave. And Australia might be the new frontrunner if an ambitious new project is all it’s cracked up to be.

Details are still relatively scarce but we now know Kelly Slater Wave Company’s ‘Surf Ranch” is located in San Joaquin Valley, California, is now majority-owned by the World Surf League and is still under development.

Several companies have since joined the elite “wave pool” race — including the Perth-based Wave Park group — and an another Australian company has now announced the backing of former world champion Mark Occhilupo.

Brisbane-based start-up Surf Lakes has unveiled its plans for multi-break surf parks that will be capable of producing more waves per hour (up to 2,400) than Wave Park’s ‘Cove’ design and Slater’s wave pool combined.

Surf Lakes has started the construction of Australia’s first surf park.Source: Supplied

Developers say versatility will be the key, with a capability for up to eight breaks of varying size and length running simultaneously, from those suitable for beginners to “extreme” barrels.

Construction of a near full-size testing and demonstration pool is already underway somewhere in north Queensland, with the exact location being kept secret, with plans to have the facility up and running at the end of the year.

Surf Lakes then hopes to license the technology around the world to theme parks, resorts and property developers.

The highlight of Surf Lakes’ planned demonstration pool is “Occy’s Peak”, a 2.4m break running for about 60 metres that Occhilupo helped design and describes as “a little similar” to Tahiti’s famous Teahupoo break.